Large scale, multi-story buildings are typically constructed of steel and concrete. Floors in such buildings may be constructed by spanning wide flange beams or steel joists between structural supports and installing metal decking across the tops of such beams or joists. The decking forms a horizontal surface onto which concrete is placed. Generally, the bottoms of the beams or joists form the framework from which ceilings are hung. The composite construction is typically achieved by using welded shear studs or partial extension of the joist top chord above the form or metal deck into the concrete slab. Flooring system designs must also be mindful of fire safety, acoustics, and vibration considerations.
While joist and deck floor systems have been designed in the past to address one or more of these issues individually, these prior designs are not optimized and integrated with the portions of the support structure of a building to provide an integrated design to address the above mentioned issues in a systematic manner.